Visible card index



Jan. 8, 1929.

J. L. GARFIELD VISIBLE 053D INDEX Fil ed May 22, i926 WWI/won v Jameall. Gazfz'eM Patented Jan. 8, 1929.

' lTED STATES PATENT. FF-ICE.

JAMES LYON' GARFIELD, OF DREXEL HILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

VISIBLE CARD INDEX.

Application filed May 22, 1926. Serial No. 110,995. a

type of index to whichthisinvention relates the mounting relation for giving the necessary overlap is a direct one between each card and the panel, thus eliminating all nesting or other connections between one card and the adjacent cards, as well as all adjustment of the other cards when removing. or inserting a single card.

Oneof the objects of this invention is to provide an index in which the cards have a hinged slidable mounting on the panel in such manner that self-spacing and free adjustment of the cards in the direction of length of the overlapping series is obtained in an extremely simple and efficient manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a form of card which eliminates the necessity for any metal carrier and spacing elements, for each card, and'yet keeps the hinged mounting which makes both sides of each card I accessible. Another object of the invention is to produce a visible index which is not only strong and easily manipulated but is compact and fiat, permitting use of the panels as leaves of a loose leaf binder. Still another object of'the invention is to provide a card which can be kept in overlapping relation with its neighbors'on the visible index panel, or transferred to an ordinary nonoverlapping vertical card index at will. Another object of the invention is to provide a card whose overlap can be made of any desired depth without relationto the overlap of the neighboring cards. Still another object of the invention is to produce acard of the greatest simplicity at minimum cost.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a panel with the top three'cards lifted up to show the method of mounting and spacing;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one corner of the panel showing how the cards engage the flanges; I

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of card mounted on the panel, while Fig. 4 is an exaggerated section on the line 44 of the modification shown in Fig. 3. f

To provide the highly novel hinged suspension of the cards, referred to, the cards are mounted directly on a. pair of parallel inwardly facing flanges 22 fastened on or fj formed from a support, backing or panel 21 at such a distance apart that the grooves thus formed are intermediate the sides of the cards. More than two flanges can be em- In the drawings thefianges' 22 on which the cards are mounted are shown formed by means of longitudinal strips glued or stitched on the surface of the panel 21, the strips being formed of cloth, cardboard or metallic material as deslred, but pressed upwardly along their inner edges to form inwardly facing" parallel grooves. If desired the ends of these grooves can be closed by stitching the strips to the panel at the ends or by rivets '34. The necessary grooves can be formed in many other ways. V

The novel form of card to be mounted on the panel takes the place of both the indisection is joined to the record sectionby hinge means such as a hinge line 20 which, if the two sections are formed integrally may be a line weakened by'sc'oring, etc. In the drawings each'card is shown with the mount ing section above the record section'but of course the panel and its cards may be held sideways, orwith the mounting sections below the respective record sectlons. The mounting sectlon has cut 1n it two or more outwardly directed opposed tongues 24 which terminate atpoints intermediate the sides of v the card and are adapted to slide in I the grooves formed between the flanges and the panel, while the record section lies on top of the flanges. The juncture of each tongue with the record sectionor other neighboring material at the base of the cutbetween them, may be termed a base point of the tongue, and-in the drawings the base points manner that lines each passing through the upper and lower base points of a tongue are parallel The lower base POllTt of each tongue is located at the hinge line but. the

.upper base point should be spaced from the upper or external edge ofthe mounting secti'on. The record section. is thus suspended in hinged relation to the panel and is available for reading or writing on either side by v.simply turning, i. e., tumbling it over. As can be seen from the drawings, the

mounting section contains material outwardly beyond the free ends of the tongues and o'n top of the tongues, the latter being what is .termed shear-cut. By this is meant that thetongues are severed from the remainder ofthe tongue section down to what may be termed their base points, without removing the material outside the tongues and thus causing the tongues to become part of the external shape of the section.

Ordinarily no material need be removed in cutting these tongues, although a strip or block may be removedfromaround the circumference of the tongue if desired, without departing from the scope of the invention. By thus surrounding the tongues on both sides and top with material in the mounting section the hinge betweenthe two sections is of maximum strength, and the material above the tongues is supportedoutside of as well as between the tongues.

The material above the tongues constitutes anti-nesting means. By making the card in the waywhich has just been described it will be observed that the ed 'e of an 7 iiei hborin e 5 g a:

card willengage the mounting section in such manner as to prevent nesting. Thus the upper edge of the mounting sectionin any card, always engages the lowerbasepoints of the tonguesof the card above at the hinge line between the mounting section and the record section. The card can therefore be removed without in any way disturbing the card above-and for similar reasons-the card below. The record section of each card while in overlapping relation with the card below,

insures that the top edgeof the mounting section of the card below is kept down on the .fianges in engagement with itsown hinge line. The simplicity of insertion orremoval of non nesting cards is too well known to needeX- planation, and it will be obvious that the mounting section is a well-knit unit and easy to handle. The card can be mounted on the panel either by turning the card sideways till the tongues 2.4 come inside the flanges 22 and then turning it back," or" by flexing or bending the card, in the manner of the narrow card type of index, till the tongues 24 can be put under flanges and then flattening the card out. The simplicity and effectiveness of this 'hinged'suspension will'now be apparent. My co-pending application, Serial No. 110,996, and my PatentNo. 1,698,329,

dated January 8, 1929, filed of even date herewith, disclose and claim certain subject.

matter referred to in'the present application, but not claimed herein.

The amountof overlap between one card and the card above itassuming that the record. sections of the cards are of equal depth equals the depth of the mounting section. This depth is formed in part of the material above the tongues, and the depth of that portion 1 of the mounting section can easily be varied for any particular card by cutting the section with a pair of scissors. Thus in Fig. 2' is illustrated a slight d'iiference in depth of the mounting sections and such difference can be made of any desired amount. There is obviousadvantagein bein able to give different amounts of overlap to different cards without in any way affecting the amount of overlap of the other cardsin the series.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is illustrated a modified forin'of'card in which the tongues ha've been strengthened without the employment of any additional material. This strengthening is obtained by shear-cutting or otherwise punch 7 ing tongues 29 similar to the previous tongues 24 but facing inwardly, and then folding the tongues back upon themselves to faceoutwardly. The broad idea of cutting the tongue facing inwardly and then folding it outwardly 'has advantages over tongues formed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These ordinary, tongues have effective contact with the. flanges only at the two base points,.but by cutting and folding the tongue in the manner just describeda bearing surface of the full width of the tongue is obtained. This increases the strength of the connection between the card and the panel by distributing the.

strain over a long surface and at the same time provides a smoother running association be-. tween the card and the flange. In the. drawings I have shown this folding as occurring at the vertical lines which join the two (base points to each tongue but it will be obvious that if additionalfiexibility in inserting the card is desired, the tongues can be cut deeper and the fold maintained at the same point.

By thus in effect folding the tongues ata point iiitermediate the line joining the base points and the-tip not only is additional flexiility obtained, but the chance of tearing as I (ill between the card and the panel is further reduced. 1 i

Among the advantages of this novel form of visible card index is the peculiar adaptability of the cards for use in the ordinary vertical card index. When the information on the card-in the visible index becomes inactive the card is easily changed to the ordinary card found in a vertical index by merely cutting or tearing off the mounted section and filing the record section in the ordinary vertical card index. The invention makes it unnecessary to make anyshear cuts or punchingsin the record section or change the shape of the section in any Way. The record section is there- ,fore exactly like all other cards inthe vertical index and can be handled without any fear of the card not fitting the index or catching on the neighboring cards.

The panel being merely a flat sheet of Bristol board or light metal and the cards being of merely fiat sheet material, apanel and its cards can be put away in a vertical filing system without taking up too much 1 space, or can be used as a leaf in'a loose leaf binder, such for instance as a magazine binder. When used in a magazine binder, these panels are individually detachable, thus giving interchangeability at will-panel by panel-between the loose leaf binder or active file and the storage file. The panel may also be mounted vertically as a telephone index or be made in the form of a drawer for a filing cabinet.

The compactness of this index makes it peculiarly adaptable for these variable uses. Many variations in the details of construction will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A card for a visible index panel, having two opposed parallel flanges, said card comprising a record section and a mounting section joined to the upper edge of the record section along a hinged line, said mounting section being formed with two opposed shearcut tongues each having a base point which is adapted to be substantially in engagement with one of the flanges, one base point of each tongue being located at the hinge line, but said mounting portion having material between said tongues and its upper edge and sides. e

2. A visible index card comprising a record section and a mounting section hinged to the upper edge thereof, said mounting section being formed with two tongues directed out wardly parallel to the hinge with one base point of each tongue located at that hinge, said mounting portion having material between its upper edge and the tongues, and outside the tongues.

3. A visible index card comprising a record section and a mounting section oined along a hinged line, said mounting section being formed with two outwardly directed opposed shear-cut tongues spaced from the upper edge, thereof, with one base point-of each tongue located at the hinge line. r

l. Avisible index card comprising a record section and a mounting section hinged to the upper edge of said record sectionialong a horizontal line, said mounting section being formed Withtwo outwardly directed opposed shear-cut tongues, the line joining the two base points of each tongue being vertical and intermediate the sides of ther'ecord section, said tongues-beingspaced from the upper edge of the mounting section but one base point of each tongue located at the hinge line; substantially as described.

5. An integral visible index card comprise A ing a record section and a mounting section above, it joined by a weakened line, said mounting section being formed with-a plurality of outwardly directed opposed shearcut tongues spaced from the upper edge and sides of the mounting section, but with one base point of each tongue'located at the weakened line; substantially asdescribed.

- 6. A card for a visible index panel having inwardly facing parallel flanges, said card comprising a record section and a mounting section joined to the upperedge of said record section by a hinge line, said mounting section being formed with'two outwardly directed opposed shear-cut single-lobe tongues, one

base point of each tongue being located at the hinge line, said tongues being adapted to underlie said flanges, the remainder of said said mounting section being adapted to over- I lie said flanges; substantially as described.

7. A visible index card comprising a record section and a mounting section joined to the upper edge of said record section by a hinge line, said mounting section being formed with a plurality of shear-cut tongues folded on vertical lines to face outwardly, one base point of each tongue being located at the hinge line at a point intermediate the sides of the record section, the other base point being spaced from the upper edge of the mounting section.

8. A visible index card comprising a record section'and a mounting section joined to the upper edge of said record section by a hinge line, said mounting section being formed with a plurality of shear-cut tongues folded on vertical lines to face outwardly, one base point of each tongue being located at the hinge line .at a point intermediate the sides of the record'section, the other base point being spaced from the upper edge of the mounting section.

9. A visible index having a panel, opposed parallel flanges thereon, and a series of cards mounted in overlapped relation on said flanges, each card comprising a record section and a mountingsection hinged to the upper edge of said record section, said mounting section being formed with two outwardly directd edopposed shear-cut single lobe tengnes'in said mounting sectionspaeedfrom the upper edge thereof, one base polnt of each tongue touching the hinge line, said tongues underlying the flanges of the panel, and the remainder'of said mounting sections and the record sections being adapted to ovenlie said flanges,

1,698,586" I &

JAHMES LYON GARFIELD- a. 

